1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for moistening or humidifying and cleaning or purifying the air of a room. The apparatus includes a housing that has at least one air inlet and one air outlet, with a lower part of the housing being embodied as a trough for a liquid. The apparatus also includes fan wheel means for generating an air flow through the housing, and a pump for producing a liquid flow within the housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known apparatus of this general type serves exclusively, or at least essentially, for humidifying the air in closed rooms, such as is necessary especially in winter in artificially heated rooms to produce a natural air moisture content in conformity with the temperature. The heretofore known apparatus operates pursuant to various methods, with the air being supplied with water droplets, water vapor, or water from evaporation. One generally differentiates between two systems, namely vaporizers, where the water is artificially evaporated by supplying heat thereto, and evaporators that essentially evaporate the water at room temperature by enlarging the surface area.
Water vaporizers have the drawback that although they can supply water to the air, it is not possible to purify the air, because the water/air exchange takes place within the room. In addition, if poorly placed and/or overdosed, water vaporizers have the drawback that water droplets condense on objects in the room, especially on metal objects and windows.
These particular drawbacks do not occur with evaporators. In the latter, an airstream, generated for example by a motor-driven fan, is conveyed through a very porous mat that is continually sprayed with water. The air that flows through the moistening mat is divided into a plurality of small airstreams that take up water as they flow through the mat. Apparatus operating pursuant to this system has the drawback that the moistening mats, depending upon the lime content of the water that is used, often become unusable already after a very short period of time due to a buildup of lime. Furthermore, such moistening mats are a constant breeding ground for bacteria, so that considerable maintenance is required in order to avoid undesirable odors.
In order also to avoid these drawbacks, apparatus having no moistening mats were designed where the airstream was conveyed through a liquid stream that was preferably preliminarily swirled. One such apparatus is known from German patent No. 14 54 601--Katzman et al dated Dec. 2, 1971, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,478--Katzman et al dated Nov. 8, 1966, for a Humidifier. In this known apparatus, an airstream generated by a fan wheel, and a liquid stream produced by a rotary pump, were each conveyed to one side of a guide plate in the direction of a stationary impingement grate where the two streams were at least partially mixed together, and the air was enriched with water.
The drawback with this heretofore known apparatus is that a portion of the air flowing through the apparatus can escape without coming into contact with the liquid. At the impingement grate, on which a main portion of the liquid evaporation takes place, deposits easily form that greatly reduce the effectiveness of this grate. In addition, there is a danger of bacteria formation. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to clean the grate since it is accessible only from one side unless the pump is disassembled. A further drawback of this apparatus is that the air is not purified to any great extent; furthermore, the volume of the air that passes through is relatively low.
Proceeding from the last-mentioned state of the art, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for purifying and humidifying the air of a room that avoids the aforementioned drawbacks and provides for a good purifying and humidifying effect of the air that passes through .